Fire escape ladder



25, 1959 E. J. MCCONOLOGUE 2,901,056

FIRE ESCAPE LADDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 1, 1956 INVENTOR. EDWARDJ 17c Co/VOLOQUE BY fleam/ 601. 54

A TTORNEY Aug. 25, 1959 Filed June 1, 1956 E. J. M CONOLOGUE FIRE ESCAPELADDER 2 Sheets -Sheet 2 I N V EN TOR. DWARD J: llc Co/voLoauls BY filmA TTORNEY United States f 21mm Fl RE ESCAPE LADDER Edward J.McConologue, San Francisco, Calif.

Application June 1, 1956, Serial No. 588,768

2 Claims. (Cl. 182-85) This invention relates to a fire escape ladder.

The object of this invention is to provide a collapsible fire escapeladder, which is simple in construction and operation, safe and durable.

Another object of this invention is to provide a fire escape ladderwhich is secured to a fire escape balcony,

wherein said fire escape ladder is stored in a collapsed form.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fire escape ladder whichmay be extended from the fire escape balcony to the ground instantly andautomatically, by releasing a lever.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the specification proceedsand the novel features of the device will be particularly pointed out inthe claims hereto annexed.

In this specification and the annexed drawing, the invention isillustrated in the form considered to be the best but it is understood,that the invention is not limited to such form; and it is also to beunderstood that in and by the claims following the description, it isdesired to cover the invention in whatsoever form it may be embodied.

This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming apart of the specification, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of the fire escape ladder, showing the same in anextended position.

Fig. 2 is a side View of the fire escape ladder, showing the samecollapsed.

Fig. 3 is a front view of the Fig. 1.

P Fig. 4 is a cross-section taken along the line 44 of ig. 1. v

The fire escape ladder 1 forming the subject matter of this invention issecured to a fire escape balcony 2 having a railing 3 around the sameand a floor 4 with a hatch 5 for said ladder.

The latter consists of a plurality of major sections and minor sections11, arranged in an alternating order and slidably connected to eachother. The upper major section is designated as 12 and is aflixed to afire escape balcony 2 at an angle thereto and at an angle to the ground.The balcony includes a floor 4, a railing 3, and a brace 15. The uppersection 12 is attached, as seen in Fig. 1, to the brace, to the floor at13 and to the railing at 14.

Each major section 10 consists of two parallel inward channels 18 eachconsisting of a web 19, two flanges 20 and 21 extending at right anglesto said web and directed toward the opposite channel. Each flange 20 and21 has an extension 22 directedtoward each other and parallel to saidweb.

Each minor section 11 consists of two parallel outward channels 24, eachhaving a web 25, which is considerably narrower than the web 19, andalso having flanges 26 and 27 on the sides of the same directedoutwardly. Each of the flanges 26 and 27 has an extension 29 extendingtoward each other and parallel to the web 25.

Each pair of channels 18 and 24 is connected by a plurality of rungs 30.It shall be noted that the rungs 30 are spaced from the extension 22 ofthe channels 18 so as to provide a narrow space 31 for the flanges 26and 27 to slide in. v

The flanges 21 and the extensions 22 of the channel 18 interlock withthe flanges 26 and the extension 29 of the channel 2 4, while theflanges 27 and extensions 29 of the latter channel interlock with theflanges 20 and extensions 22 of the next adjoining channel 18, as shownin Fig. 4. Such arrangement permits sections 10 and 11 to slide inrelation to each other. This relative motion is limited, however, bystops 35 and 36 aifixed to each channel 24, the stop 35 being located atthe lower end of said channel and the stop 36 near the upper end of thesame. Said stops 35 and 36 cooperate with abutments 37 secured to theflange 20 of the channel 18 at the lower end thereof'and abutments 38secured to the flanges 21 of said channel in close vicinity of the upperend thereof.

Each major section 10 carries hand railings 40 secured to the channels18 by posts 41.

Means are provided on the upper major section 10 for lifting andcollapsing said ladder and holding the same in collapsed form. Saidmeans may be of various forms and are shown here as consisting of acrank secured to a shaft 51 rotatable in a support 52 and adapted towind a pulley 53 secured to the same shaft. The pulley 53 carries asteel cable 55 extending therefrom to the last section and is securedthereto. By rotating the pulley 52 by means of said crank 59, thesections are lifted to the balcony 2. The shaft 51 also carries aratchet wheel 58 secured thereto. A level 60 is pivotally secured to thesupport 52, which lever has an arm 61 engaging the teeth of the ratchetwheel 58. When the crank 50 is rotated in a counter clock-wisedirection, looking at Fig. 1, the teeth of the ratchet wheel 58 lift thearm 61 and pass thereunder, but said arm does not permit the shaft 51and the pulley 53 to rotate in opposite directions as the arm 61immediately engages one of said teeth. In order to release the pulley 53and allow the same to rotate in a clock-wise direction, the lever 60 ismoved in counter clock-wise direction, looking at Fig. l. The arm 61releases the ratchet wheel 58 and the weight of the sections 10 and 11unwinds the pulley very rapidly and the ladder momentarily andautomatically reaches the ground. If desired, some means may be used forslowing the downward motion of the said sections.

The operation of the device is as follows: The ladder 1 is kept incollapsed form at the balcony 2 as shown. in Fig. 2. In order to extendit to the ground, a person pulls the lever 60 in to counter clock-wisedirection so as to disengage the arm 61 from the teeth of the ratchetwheel 58. The sections 10 and 11 immediately drop down to the ground atan angle, thus forming a ladder inclined to the ground at an angle, asshown in Fig. 1. In order to lift the sections and thus collapse theladder, the lever 60 is brought in its normal position, so that the arm61 rests on the ratchet wheel 58. Thereupon, the crank 50 is rotateduntil the sections are brought into a position shown in Fig. 2.

I claim:

1. The combination with a fire escape balcony of a collapsible fireescape ladder extending from said balcony to the ground at an angle tothe latter, when in extended position, said ladder consisting of aplurality of major and minor sections, the upper section being rigidlysecured to said balcony at an angle, the remaining major and minorsection being arranged in an alternating order; each major sectionconsisting of a pair of inward channels each channel including a pair offlanges and extensions depending therefrom, said flanges and extensionsbeing Patented Aug. 25, 1959 arranged inwardly; each minor sectionconsisting of a pair of outward channels, each channel including a pairof outward flanges and extensions; a flange and its extension of eachchannel of a major section being interlocked with a flange and itsextension of a channel of a next adjoining minor section, a plurality ofrungs carried by said channels; stops secured to the channels of theminor sections; abutments secured to the channels of the major sections,said abutments in cooperation With said stops limiting the upward anddownward slide of one section in relation to the other; means carried bysaid upper section for lifting the remaining sections adjacent saidupper sections; means for retaining said sections in elevated position.

2. The combination with a fire escape balcony of a collapsible fireescape ladder extendible from said balcony to the ground at an angle tothe latter; said ladder consisting of a plurality of major and minorsections, the upper section being rigidly secured to said balcony at anangle, the remaining major and minor sections being arranged inalternating order; each major section comprising a pair of parallelspaced inward channels, each channel including a pair of oppositeflanges directed inwardly toward the other channel, each flange havingan extension formed at the right angle to said flange and directedtoward another flange; each minor section consisting of a pair ofparallel spaced outward channels, each latter channel having a pair ofopposite flanges directed outwardly and away from the other channel,each flange having an extension formed at the right angle to said flangeand directed towardthe other flange; a plurality of rungs connecting thechannels of the major and minor sections; said flanges and extensions ofone side of a channel of each pair of adjoining major and minor sectionsbeing interlocked for sliding in relation to each other; means forlimiting the longitudinal movement of each major section in relation toan adjoining minor section; the flange and the extension thereof of eachoutward channel of the minor section being arranged for sliding betweenthe respective flange and extension of the inward channel of the majorsection and the rungs of the latter; means for collapsing said ladder bypulling said sections upwardly, and means for releasably holding saidcollapsed ladder at the balcony.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS283,391 Hart Aug. 21, 1883 318,391 Price "May 19, 1885 595,453 FischerDec. 14, 1897 703,836 Schambers July 1, 1902 942,604 Vogl Dec. 7, 19091,949,972 Murphy Mar. 6, 1934 2,559,992 Painter July 10, 1951 2,610,875Wheelden Sept. 16, 1952 2,760,706 Pearl Aug. 28, 1956

